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Tuesday, 30 June 2015

The first thing that strikes me listening to the Debut Solo Album of Kate Pierson is why on earth has she not done this before? The second thing is, this does not sound like a woman who is 66 years old! Thirdly, Kate on this album reminds me a little of Mary Weiss (The Shangri-Las) - and that's not a bad thing in my book.

Musically there are no great surprises as it is clear to see how she has developed as a singer over the space of 40 years with one of the great alternative bands ever in The B-52's, though this time she's out on her own without the aid of Fred and Cindy. This is pop music at it's finest though and it's great to see her spreading her wings on her own.

My favourites so far after just a few listens are the opener 'Throw Down the Roses' and 'Time Wave Zero'.

It's been over a month since I last checked in on the U2 Tour so there's a spot of catching up to do. I'll try and find as many as I can from the shows in Los Angeles, Denver, Montreal and Chicago. Click on the links to enjoy the music. This is up until 28th June. In the next Catch Up we'll pick it up from 29th June in Chicago.

Here is the complete show from Glasto Saturday June 27th...Setlist: Fisherman's Blues Still a FreakA Boy Called Johnny We Will Not Be Lovers Nearest Thing to Hip Medicine Bow Glastonbury Song Mad as Mist and SnowThe Whole of the Moon Long Strange Golden Road

The seventh studio album from Alternative Rock Group Wilco. Prior to its release tha album was streamed on the band's official website due to it being leaked on the internet.

The Self-Titled album (otherwise known as 'The Album') was recorded in New Zealand at Roundhead Studios owned by Tim Finn of Crowded House fame.

It was the first Wilco album to contain a duet on it as the band came together with Canadian Indie Folk Artist Feist on the song 'You and I'.

My great confession is that I kind of bypassed Wilco for quite a few years and it was only when they did The Mermaid Avenue albums with Billy Bragg that I began to sit up and take notice of them.

Jeff Tweedy is the kind of bloke that I really like because he has a love for music that goes beyond his own band and his work with Mavis Staples for instance, is something I am really appreciative of.

The Who have been getting a lot of love of late, especially after their recent shows celebrating their 50 years! Add to that an impressive set at Glastonbury showing Kanye West what real Rock sounds like.Thought it would be good to carry on that love with a Music is the Doctor Playlist paying homage to The Who, it's members and their solo work and feature a few artists who have found inspiration in their work. There's a few links as well that you can click on to hear some more music.

1. The Seeker - The WhoSo, my mate Dougie from Sligo tried to convince me today that Mick Hucknall had done a worthy cover of this tune...Mick Hucknall, can you believe that! I love old Dougie but I fear he is seriously misguided on this particular issue! He'll probably disown me after publicly outing him on his regard for the Ginger Boy!

On the other hand my mate Skinny posted a version by Rushthat was very acceptable to my ears (mainly because it wasn't Mick Hucknall singing it!)

2. The Kids Are Alright - Matthew Sweet and Susanna HoffsFrom their excellent series 'Under The Covers'. There's a few covers of this one that I like (I've already posted in a previous playlist the great version by Eddie and the Hot Rods).

3. Baba O'Riley - The WhoMy mate Bevan always makes me laugh whenever this one and 'Won't Get Fooled Again' are mentioned. He calls them the "CSI Songs".

Even after all these years it still sounds fantastic live. The performance of it at Glastonbury was quite something to behold.

4. Disguises - The Jam

The Jam released a couple of covers of The Who as B-Sides and this one is from 'Funeral Pyre'. Oh course there was a lot of chatter back in the day that Paul Weller and Co were the next "Who" but Weller never said anything of the sort. He wore his love for them on his sleeve and in many ways I thought it was great because as a result youngsters were turning their attention back to some of the most amazing music of the Sixties as a result.

5. Rough Boys - Pete Townshend

There's a few bits and pieces of Pete's Solo stuff that I really enjoy and this is one of them. Think this would have sounded good as a song for The Who.

6. Giving It All Away - Roger Daltrey.

Roger's Solo stuff always felt a bit light to me. I did like the McVicar soundtrack though.

7. Peg Leg Peggy - John EntwistleCan't say that I've heard much of The Ox's Solo stuff before. I kinda like this one though, some cool rock and roll.

9. 5.15 - The WhoThis live version is just amazing. Filmed at The Royal Albert Hall, London in 2002.

10. Who Are You - The WhoOne of the last great singles by The Who I think.

11. Let My Love Open The Door - Audio Adrenaline

This is another fav Pete Solo song, this time covered by a Christian band out of Atlanta for their album 'Underdog'.

12. Love, Reign O'er Me/The Real Me - Pearl Jam

Sometimes Eddie Vedder's voice really bugs me (sorry, it's a personal issue!) but I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised and actually really like this version.

13. My Generation - OasisOasis could never quite make up their minds if they thought they were The Beatles or The Who and surprisingly they pulled off a pretty tasty version of possibly the most famous songs of The Who.

Patti Smith does an expletive full version of it as well and has been performing it for years. Her version of it at Glastonbury was quite mezmerizing!

14. I Can See For Miles - The WhoPete Townshend was quite mortified when this single flopped and quite rightly so, how it did so one will never know. It is a fantastic slice of 1960's rock.

15. Going Mobile - The Who

From the brilliant 'Who's Next' Album and one that apparently they as a band hadn't played live before! Not sure if that still stands (should ask Dougie if he's talking to me after the Mick Hucknall comments above!). I know when Roger was out touring Solo that Simon Townshend (Pete's brother) would sing it in the set.

16. Going Back Home - Roger Daltry and Wilko Johnson

One of the best collaborations I've heard in years has come from this pairing. The album, 'Going Back Home', is a total gem and well worth a blast.

17. Spirit of Keith Moon - Peter and the Test Tube Babies

Punk rockers always had an affection for Keith Moon. His antics and tomfoolery were often quite rebellious. This track was a B-Side to the Test Tubes' brilliant single 'The Jinx'. I still have a lot of love for this tune. I think old Moonie would have approved!

Next to 'My Generation' this is probably one of the most loved of all songs by The Who. This particular video was filmed at Shepperton Studios and was one of the final performances of Keith Moon with the band.

Sunday, 28 June 2015

In an unusual turn of events at Glastonbury last night, Kayne West, the headliner turned his hand to Stand Up Comedy:

"I'm going to say this tonight because 20 years from now, 30 years
from now, 40 years from now, I might not be able to say it, but I can
say it tonight... You are now watching the greatest living rock star on
the planet."

What is really sad about this is that it he actually believes it!

The man is clearly delusional because in 20 years, 30 years or even 40 years from now NO ONE will remember who he is!

Also actually telling people that you are "the greatest living rock star on the planet" doesn't actually make you the greatest living Rock Star on the planet!

One more point, Kanye seems to have a bit of a problem understanding what Rock Music actually is because there is no way on earth that anyone (other than himself) would equate his music with being rock music!

For the final time in this series of Alphabet Beats (it's possible that a revisit might happen but no promises!) we return to The Letter Z which is for....

Warren Zevon's first album, released in 1969 was a commercial failure produced by Zevon himself after a fall out with Kim Fowley who originally had been scheduled to produce it. Warren said that the album was released to "the sound of one hand clapping". Sales were very poor and the critics all but ignored it. An attempt at a follow up failed as well as Warren Zevon jumped on board with the Everly Brothers playing keyboards for them and was their band leader and musical director.

But come 1975 he was heading to Spain where he ended up living and working in a small tavern not too far outside of Barcelona. But in September of the same year he was back in LA working with Jackson Browne on a new album that would eventually be released in May of the following year.

(My love of reading liner notes really comes to the fore with Warren Zevon, so please forgive me for getting a little excited when speaking of the artists who played on his albums because I find this kind of stuff thrilling!)

What is of great interest is some of the artists who worked on the Self -Titled album with him: Jackson Browne (of course as he was the producer but played on tracks), Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks (both of whom had only recently joined Fleetwood Mac and therefore not really well known), Phil Everly, Glenn Frey and Don Henley (The Eagles), J.D. Souther (early writer for The Eagles), Bonnie Raitt, and Carl Wilson (Beach Boys). Whilst the album was not a massive seller it did help lay the groundwork for what was to come.

His third album 'Excitable Boy' was a Top Ten Album (peaking at #8) and it contained the song that he is probably known for the world over, 'Werewolves of London'. 'Werewolves' actually has Mick Fleetwood playing Drums and John McVie on Bass. Linda Ronstadt (who would record a number of Warren's songs) and Jennifer Warnes are on Backing Vocals and J.D. Souther and Jackson Browne were present again.

For Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School he basically has The Eagles (Felder, Frey, Henley, Joe Walsh) playing alongside Ronstadt and Jackson Browne again.

After the release of The Envoy in 1982 he was dropped by Asylum as the album was not a success. Zevon only discovered he had been dropped after reading about it in the Rolling Stone magazine! He went into a bit of a tailspin after this and didn't surface again until 1987's Sentimental Hygiene. On this one he had Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Bill Berry of R.E.M. (Michael Stipe appears on backing vocals on 'Bad Karma'). Also working on this album were Mike Campbell, Stan Lynch, Bob Dylan, Flea, Brian Setzer and even Neil Young turns up on a track!

I could go on and on about this. Let's just say that Warren Zevon was a pretty connected guy. I wanted to mention his last studio album 'The Wind' which includes guest appearances by close friends including Bruce Springsteen, Don Henley, Jackson Browne, Timothy B. Schmit, Joe Walsh, David Lindley, Billy Bob Thornton, Emmylou Harris, Tom Petty, Dwight Yoakam, T-Bone Burnette, Ry Cooder, and Mike Campbell. His son Jordan Zevon appears on the album also (not for the first time).

Warren Zevon passed away 7th September 2003 after being diagnosed with inoperable peritoneal mesothelioma (cancer of the abdominal lining that is associated with exposure to asbestos).

More Warren Zevon

Enjoy Every Sandwich: The Songs of Warren Zevon, released in 2004, is a tribute album to the late Warren Zevon by many famous musicians. It includes two unreleased Zevon songs: "The Wind", sung by actor Billy Bob Thornton; and "Studebaker", sung by Warren's son Jordan Zevon.

The album's title comes from an interview Zevon did on the Late Show with David Letterman following Zevon's having been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. Letterman asked Zevon if there was anything he understood now, facing his own mortality, that he didn't before. Zevon replied, "Just how much you're supposed to enjoy every sandwich."

The B-52's were back after a break of three years with an album that was like a real comeback after the devasting death of guitarist Ricky Wilson (brother of Cindy) from AIDS back in 1985 after they had completed the recording of their fourth studio album 'Bouncing off the Satellites'. He was only 32 years old and hadn't told fellow band members of his illness as he did not want people to fuss over him. As a result the band went into seclusion, did not tour the album. It would be their least successful album.

Keith Strickland had been composing in 1988 and after he played some of his new music for the other band members, they all agreed to try writing together again, with Pierson, Wilson and Schneider contributing the lyrics and melodies. In 1989 the band released Cosmic Thing, their mainstream breakthrough, released on Reprise Records worldwide. The single "Channel Z", a single from the new album, became an alternative and college radio hit, hitting number one on the U.S. Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart, receiving significant airplay on MTV's modern rock show 120 Minutes.

The next single, "Love Shack", with its party vibe and colorful music video, became their first top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, ultimately reaching No. 3 in November 1989. That peak was matched in March 1990 when their follow-up single, "Roam", also reached No. 3. In Australia, the country that had most embraced the band a decade earlier, "Love Shack" stayed at number one for eight weeks.

A fourth single, "Deadbeat Club", which reminisced about the band's early days in Athens and whose video was shot on location and featured a cameo by fellow Athens artist R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe, reached No. 30. The Cosmic Thing album climbed into the U.S. top five and earned multi-platinum certification. It also had huge international success reaching No. 1 in both Australia and New Zealand and No. 8 in the UK. The group had a hugely successful world tour to support the record, and appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone in March, 1990. In 1990 the B-52's were nominated for 4 MTV Video Music Awards including Video of the Year. They won two awards, Best Group Video and Best Art Direction.

Whilst I have a real fondness for a lot of the work that The B-52's have released over the years (their debut album is an absolute classic I think) Cosmic Thing is an album I return to a lot. 'Love Shack' is always going to get a mention when speaking of this album but for me the absolute standout track is 'Roam'. It is in my mind a real classy Pop single and it's never lost it's appeal for me. There's an absolutely delicious acoustic version of it with just Cindy Wilson singing it from a show in 2003. And it still sounds stunning live, this version is from 2013 when they played in London.

End of the Innocence was the third solo album from Don Henley. It was a long wait for the album, 5 years to be exact and after it's release he wouldn't record another solo record for 11 years! This was mainly down to a contract dispute with his record label, which was resolved when the Eagles reunited in 1994.

It is by far his biggest selling album with well over 6 Million Units moved in the States alone.

In some quarters it is quite uncool to mention having an affection for the music of the Eagles or any of the solo works of its members (bar Joe Walsh it would seem!) but I'm old enough now to not ever be bothered about whether something is cool or not. I'll throw my hat in the ring and say it, I absolutely love this album. His previous release, Building the Perfect Beast had contained the exceptional 'Boys of Summer' and I had assumed that he would never top that, but on End of the Innocence he did so with a number of songs - the title track penned by Bruce Hornsby and himself and 'New York Minute'. It's actually interesting because when I first heard the title track on the radio without knowing that Hornsby had Co-written it I thought he must have played on it because the piano sound is just so reminiscent of his own work.

'Heart of the Matter' is the song for me that makes this album great. Written by Don Henley, Mike Campbell (of Tom Petty's Heartbreakers) and long time collaborator J.D. Souther, for me it's pretty much the perfect pop song.

Zion Train are a British dub reggae ensemble. Initially formed in Oxford as a sound system in 1988 by Neil Perch and Ben Hamilton, Colin Cod and Dave Tench joined in 1990 upon relocation to London. The line-up was added to with vocalist Molara in 1992. Their initial releases were the 7" singles 'Power One' and 'Power Two', which became hits on the dub scene in the early 1990s. In 1992 they released the groundbreaking 'Follow Like Wolves'single which fused Dub and Acid House styles and spawned their reputation as innovators. Their second album, Natural Wonders of the World in Dub, hit the UK indie charts in 1994 and was followed by several small-issue EPs. Additionally, they worked on remixes for The Shamen, Afro Celt Sound System, Loop Guru, Kava Kava and others. They released both vinyl and CD material on their own label, Universal Egg, until 1995, when they signed with China Records. They returned to their own label in 1999. Much of their back catalog was reissued in 2005.

Lately, their early albums, such as A Passage To Indica, have been cited as primary influences on the minimal techno and minimal dub genres. There was a bitter feud within the band beginning around 2001, which led to Neil Perch continuing the band with an almost new line-up, comprising long-term trumpeter Dave Hake, trombonist Bigga and an assortment of international session players and studio vocalists. This line-up released the album Live As One, with which Zion Train won the 'Jamaican Reggae Grammy 2007' for 'Best Dub Recording'.

ZZ Top formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. The band comprises guitarist and lead vocalist Billy Gibbons (the band's leader, main lyricist and musical arranger), bassist and co-lead vocalist Dusty Hill, and drummer Frank Beard. Their line-up has not changed in 46 years!The beared wonders (Frank Beard used to be the only one not sporting a beard but the above concert from 2013 shows that he has one, though not as long and thick as Billy and Dusty's) have been churning out their own brand of the blues a long time and have known a period of success when they were one of the biggest bands on the plant.They kind of dipped out of the record market for awhile (though a re-release of expanded earlier albums was undertaken in this time) after their 2003 album Mescalero but bounced back with a Top Ten album in 2012 with La Futura.They are currently out on tour until August.Click on the links to enjoy the music.

Thursday, 25 June 2015

Eddie Floyd is probably more well known for his song 'Knock on Wood' than maybe any other song that he released. In one way it's not a bad song to be associated with. It was originally written for Otis Redding but the powers that be at Stax were encouraged to release Eddie's version, a decision I'm certain they never regretted.

Whilst Eddie Floyd has released a whole lot of music since 1962 he is also a songwriter for some of the biggest Soul acts in the 60's like Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Carla Thomas, and Rufus Thomas.

His songs have been covered by a wide variety of artists and below are just a few of them. Click on the links to enjoy.